hackAfterwards
by NeoMoon
Summary: My take on what happens with the Sign crew during the events of the game
1. Reload

.hack//Afterwards  
  
By: NeoMoon  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
Part One:  
  
It seemed forever since she had touched the headset, much less the computer itself, but she had to now, after last night she   
  
felt that she didn't have much of a choice. He gone to far last night, it had been too much. She looked across the room,   
  
her dark eyes meeting themselves in the reflection of the old oval mirror. The bandage stretched down the entire length of   
  
her cheek. Fresh tears welled in her eyes. It wasn't her fault; she had to remember that, it had never been her fault.   
  
With a deep breath she slipped the headset over her head, and a moment later the world changed.  
  
***  
  
Mimiru, sighed as she stretched and leaned back against the old wooden fence, a sleepy content smile on her face. She truly   
  
missed this place she could believe she'd actually sworn off playing the main game for so long and just read the BBS and her   
  
own mails – and from what she'd read, she'd been missing a lot – after all the old group had mainly disbanded and had gone   
  
their own way.  
  
She had actually had no reason to come here today, she still had way to much homework, and she'd stupidly volunteered to be   
  
on the winter dance committee, but the e-mail she'd gotten was curious and she'd just had to check it out. Closing her eyes   
  
she searched through all her old mail, bringing up the message she'd gotten only a few hours ago and read it again.  
  
"'Meet me on the road to the cliffs . . . T'." Mimiru opened her eyes and shook her head. She only knew one person that had   
  
a T in the beginning of their name, and he . . . she, Mimiru corrected herself, hadn't been seen since after the slums.  
  
With another quick stretch Mimiru pushed herself off the fence. It couldn't be Tsukasa anyway, she wouldn't have come back   
  
to The World, it held too much pain at the hands of the voice, and she'd never risk it. It was then that she noticed the   
  
sorceress standing off to her left, the her shoulder length silver hair flowing behind her in the breeze, her staff held in   
  
the crook of her arm, and a small almost said smile on her face. She looked familiar, but Mimiru couldn't quite place her.   
  
"Do – do I know you?" She asked hesitantly, feeling for her sword, there'd been a score of new Player Killers in the game   
  
according to the BBS recently, and Mimiru wasn't sure if this girl was one.  
  
The young Sorceress's smile faded, her bright green eyes losing their color, falling to the ground. "I – I changed my   
  
character parameters." The girl whispered, shyly looking back up and then down at the ground again.  
  
Mimiru's eyes widened, she knew who it was. The voice gave it away instantly. Slowly she looked the girl over. The   
  
clothes, the tattoos, the staff, the hair and eyes. She should have known. "Tsukasa!" She cried as she wrapped the other   
  
girl in her arms and gave her a tight and overly too long hug. "Oh my God! I never thought I see you again!" She pushed   
  
Tsukasa away, holding her at the shoulders. "And with tits!"  
  
Tsukasa seemed to blush, and pulled herself free of Mimiru's grip. "Sorry, I should have said in the mail . . ." She   
  
trailed off looking away.  
  
Mimiru laughed and started to walk away, just stopping long enough to grab Tsukasa by the hand and pulling her with.   
  
"Nonsense! I love a good surprise, as long isn't people jumping out from behind walls and such." Tsukasa stifled a laugh,   
  
and Mimiru continued. "So how you liking life on the outside, it hasn't been to hard adjusting to eating and not being able   
  
to just "phase" away from an area."  
  
Tsukasa's hand absently ran down the length of her cheek, stopped pulling her hand away from Mimiru's. "Can – can we meet?   
  
Outside?"  
  
"Yeah, oh course." She'd actually wanted to meet Tsukasa for months but had almost given up. "Were do you want to meet up   
  
at?"  
  
Tsukasa was quite for a long time, seeming to consider every option, again her hand touched her cheek, her eyes seeming to   
  
brim with unseen tears. "Were we used to talk about?" She asked.  
  
Mimiru nodded, going over her schedule in her head, and then nodded again. "Okay then!" She said happily, then added. "How   
  
'bout tomorrow, around six?"  
  
Again Tsukasa touched her face, and Mimiru started to wonder if the game Tsukasa was mimicking the real life one, it did   
  
happen. Finally Tsukasa nodded, then added. "Thank you, I got to go now." She started to walk away, then stopped and turned   
  
slightly, the look on her face very sad. "If you see Bear, asking how easy would it be. He'll know what I mean." And with   
  
that final bit Tsukasa was gone.  
  
For along time Mimiru stood on the old dirt road the led to the cliffs looking in the direction that Tsukasa had walked and   
  
thought of many things, not the least of which of what Tsukasa had said about Bear, and her new look. "Tomorrow I'll know   
  
for sure." She whispered to herself, and started toward the gate.  
  
***  
  
Krim, watched from the top of the hill, a large smile on his face. Tsukasa was back, that would make certain people happy.   
  
He thought, as he turned away and walked toward the sunset the way heroes always did. Problem was would this new Tsukasa   
  
want anything to do with the coming war?  
  
***  
  
Mimiru looked behind her again as the subway car moved through the dim tunnel. The girl was still behind her! With a sigh   
  
she pushed away from the bar she was holding and started to push through the crowded car toward the girl. She didn't really   
  
know who the girl was, only that they were in the same school, and Mimiru was in a grade higher, but beside that nothing, no   
  
name, nothing except that and the fact that the girl was supposedly one of the few in the whole country who was guaranteed a   
  
spot at Todai. Mimiru sighed she wished she was that smart!  
  
The car blanked out, covering the small world in darkness, when the color drowning lights flickered back on Mimiru was   
  
standing next to the girl. Without turning, are even glancing at the girl she started to speak. "Who are you?" She   
  
whispered.  
  
The girl seemed to jump a little, her eyes flickering over at Mimiru. "I – I didn't mean to cause any trouble." The girl   
  
whispered back, moving a bit away from Mimiru. "I'm really sorry!" She blurted out, and quickly pushed her way out of the   
  
car.  
  
Mimiru shook her head and closed her eyes, her memories flashing back to the e-mail she'd gotten late the previous night, and   
  
the encounter it led to.  
  
***  
  
It was night, even in "The World," Mimiru had just gotten out of the shower, when she saw the flashing text on her computer's   
  
screen. Still drying her hair, she opened up her mail server, and began to read the message, a small smile on her face as   
  
she realized who it was.  
  
"Bear!" She whispered excitedly as she picked up her headset, and loaded into the game.  
  
Almost an hour later, she waited by the fence that she had meet Tsukasa at earlier, and watched as some people came into the   
  
game and started out on an adventure, or meet up with friends and party members. She couldn't help but smiling a little,   
  
remembering that even during all the hardships, she'd give anything to be back together with the whole party, even that   
  
obnoxious little twerp Sora. She laughed, she couldn't help it!  
  
"What's so funny?" A warm gruff voice said to her left.  
  
Mimiru turned, and smiled as she saw Bear leaning a few feet away from her, his long broad sword dangling from his waist. He   
  
gave her a half wave. "Yo."  
  
They ended up walking down the crowded streets of the city, it'd been too long since they had done that together, and it felt   
  
nice to do so again, but Bear seemed to be weighed down by something. "Mimiru." He began, stopping to look over at the   
  
flowing water in the canal. "Did, Tsukasa, tell you?" His voice was soft as he watched his reflection rippling in the   
  
waters below. He looked over toward Mimiru, his eyes dark. Mimiru shook her head, and with a nod he continued. "When   
  
Tsukasa was stuck in the game, I choose to investigate it, just like most of the old group, in my own way."   
  
"Well, I did eventually find out who Tsukasa really was. You see Tsukasa's past," he paused, and looked away, back into the   
  
water's reflection. "It's complicated." He finally whispered. "A little before Helba gave us access to the Net Slum, I   
  
gave her choice." He smiled a bit. "I couldn't believe it at the time. I truly did consider it, and the offer still   
  
stands." His smile grew larger, and he looked back at Mimiru. "Tell her that when you meet her, and give her this."   
  
A moment passed and Mimiru heard the tall-tale beep of an incoming message. She looked up at Bear wonderingly; he offered   
  
her a nod and turned. "I think I'll start coming on more often again. I meet the deadline after all." He laughed, and   
  
walked away, waving back at her as he left. "Well, message me if you come on." With that he was gone.  
  
***  
  
The car jerked to a stop throwing Mimiru out of her thoughts. Shaking her head she made her way out of the car, and up the   
  
stairs. The dim light of the setting sun watched over the streets, and Mimiru leaned against the wall of the gate entrance,   
  
and watched as the crowds made their way through the darkening streets, coming in and out of the stores, bags swinging in   
  
their arms. A thought came into her mind, and she felt like cursing. With a sigh she pushed off the wall and started to   
  
look around hoping to see anyone that even looked remotely like the Tsukasa she knew, after all some people did do their damn   
  
best to model their game persona's on their real selves.  
  
  
  
Near the end of the wall the girl from the subway stood, her head slowly turning to look at the faces of those who passed by   
  
her, every so often her eyes would glance down at her watch. Mimiru watched her for a few minutes, she looked very sad, and   
  
in some odd way very much familiar.   
  
  
  
Slowly Mimiru made her way over to the girl, weaving through the thin crowd of people walking through the streets. Throwing   
  
her bag over her shoulder, she came up next to the girl and smiled. "Hi." She said cheerfully with a wave of her hand.   
  
The girl jumped slightly, and looked at Mimiru. "Hel – Hello." Her voice was shy, quite. After a moment the girl returned   
  
to her searching.  
  
"Are you," Mimiru started, and looked around the streets seeing if she could find who she herself searched for. "Are you   
  
waiting for something?"  
  
The girl nodded, and looked at Mimiru, her dark eyes searching Mimiru's face, and seeming to make some decision. "A friend   
  
of mine," the girl said, her eyes moving away from Mimiru's face, scanning the ground. "I – I asked her to meet me, but . .   
  
." She trailed off.  
  
Mimiru smiled. "Ya know if it wasn't for the shy voice I'd never have know." She smiled. "So Tsukasa, if that is your real   
  
name. What do you wanna do?"  
  
Tsukasa's face lit up, a large smile playing across her face, and that's when Mimiru noticed the large bandage the stretched   
  
across Tsukasa's cheek. "What happened?" She asked, pointing at the bandage, her mind remembering how Tsukasa constantly   
  
kept touching her cheek, that cheek, last night in "The World."  
  
Tsukasa's hand instantly traced across the bandage. "Nothing," she whispered. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, but . .   
  
." Again she trailed off and Mimiru couldn't help but give an aggravated sigh.  
  
"Look," Mimiru said patiently. "I'll never get anything outta of ya if you don't even finish a sentence." She smiled, then   
  
went on. "Well at least ya ain't running away any more."  
  
With a deep breath Tsukasa slid her arms behind her back and stretched her facing tilting to look up at the night sky. "I   
  
know it wasn't real," she whispered. "But the night skies of 'The World,' were so much more beautiful."  
  
Mimiru joined Tsukasa in watching the night sky, and couldn't help but agree. The nights in "The World," were full of stars   
  
and unknown constellations, it seemed so bright so much more alive then the night sky in the real world, were the lights from   
  
the city seemed to drown out the heavens leaving only the false lights of humans. Mimiru closed her eyes and thought of the   
  
game, thought of how real it all seemed when she logged in, how even though it wasn't really there it felt as if it was. She   
  
smiled, remembering how annoyed and scared she was the night she stayed logged into the world, as she sat around with Bear   
  
and BT, the small fire burning brightly before them, as they tried to solve the problem that was Tsukasa. All through that   
  
night she kept looking up at the night sky at the beautiful crescent moon made its way across the heavens. It felt so real,   
  
she actually remember thinking of the entire event as real, and in someway, deep in her mind and soul it was real.  
  
Slowly Mimiru shook herself at of her thoughts and looked at Tsukasa who still stared at the night sky. "Hey, are you okay?"   
  
She asked softly.  
  
Tsukasa continued to look at the sky, her arms resting limply behind her back, clasping her schoolbag. "When I was little,   
  
before my Mother died she used to take me outside at night, and we'd just look up at the sky, I used to love staring for   
  
hours at the moon, sitting in her lap, as she slowly rocked back and forth." Tsukasa laughed sadly. "I used to full asleep   
  
in her lap, and she'd carry me up to bed." Tears were welling in her eyes, but she ignored them, and looked at Mimiru.   
  
"Anyway, I'm sorry for dragging you out." She smiled, and wiped away the tears. "If I'd known you were THE great Mimiru I'd   
  
have just met you at school."  
  
  
  
Mimiru couldn't help but laugh, she didn't consider herself all that great are anything, but she supposed that maybe   
  
some people did. "Yeah well if I'd know ya were the school genius I wouldn't have been wondering who ya were for almost a   
  
year!"  
  
Both girls laughed, and Mimiru noticed Tsukasa visible brightening. "So here we are, two young beautiful girls alone   
  
in the streets of Tokyo! What do ya wanna do?!"  
  
Tsukasa unhooked her hands and looked down at her watch, her eyes narrowing in concern. "My father likes me back early,   
  
before he gets home." She looked back at the stars, her fingers tracing the line of the bandage. "Mimiru, can I ask you for   
  
a favor?"  
  
Mimiru nodded a small bit of understanding already forming in the back of her mind. She didn't want that thought to exist in   
  
her mind are for real, so she pushed it away, hoping to never see it again.  
  
"Tsukasa looked at her hesitantly. "Can I spend the night at your place?"  
  
Without even a second thought Mimiru nodded then hurried and grabbed Tsukasa's hand. "Now come on I'm hungry and Burger   
  
World's got a special!"  
  
Without even waiting Mimiru started to run, dragging Tsukasa behind her, unaware that the other girl wore a large smile.  
  
***  
  
"So," Bear said as he walked down the small aisle of the old chapel. "Why did you call?"  
  
Subaru slowly walked down the few steps from the alter. "Things have been going on since everyone left." She stopped   
  
waiting for Bear to get closer, then continued. "I didn't even know about it, Krim recently mailed me." She stopped again,   
  
seeming to be trying to hold herself together. "He said that, that monster from the slums has been seen all over the world,   
  
tracking a mysterious girl." Subaru stopped, and quickly turned around, her eyes narrowing as she watched the darkness.   
  
"Who's there!?"  
  
"It seems." A tall blonde woman said as she stepped out of the darkness, her staff clanking heavily on the ground as she   
  
stepped out of the shadows. "That I haven't improved in hiding myself." She smiled at the two standing before her, she   
  
looked over at Bear. "Hello Bear," she said with an elegant smile. "It was wonderful by the way, but the ending was a   
  
little anti-climatic."  
  
Bear sighed. "Everyone's been saying that." He shook his head. "But it is a trilogy after all. So how have you been BT?"  
  
BT smiled, and walked the rest of the way toward the two, giving Subaru a nod as she passed. "Well, until I got a mail from   
  
a mutual friend." She looked over at Subaru. "I do know who the girl is after all. A friend of mine from Germany told me   
  
that he had spoken with her."  
  
"So, is it Aura then?"  
  
"Yes and the monster that's chasing her is laying havoc across 'The World'." BT said, wariness playing in her voice. "I   
  
thought we would have averted the trouble by freeing Tsukasa."  
  
Bear nodded, "yes. It'd seem that Tsukasa's entrapment in the game was only the beginning. I heard a rumor that three   
  
others have fallen into comas playing the game." He shrugged. "It's only rumor on the boards though."  
  
"Krim wanted us to know this for a reason," Subaru said, looking out one of the slit style windows. "Question is what reason   
  
is it?"  
  
Bear shook his head. "I don't know, but I know we'll find out soon enough."  
  
End .hack//Afterwards Part One.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Okay please be gentle this is my very first .hack fic, and even though I've watched the series like four times, I really   
  
haven't gotten a true feeling of the characters and am really winging it. Note to mention .hack is a complicated world, and   
  
I don't have the necessary resources to research this completely where I'm currently at. Also I haven't written for months   
  
and I'm rusty . . . Hopefully I'll start to get back into my old groove soon.  
  
Peace Out!  
  
NeoMoon ^_^* 


	2. Girls Night

.hack//Afterwards  
  
By: NeoMoon  
  
Rated: PG – 13  
  
Part Two:  
  
Tsukasa looked around the brightly lit restaurant apprehensively. She didn't know this place, she almost never ate out, and   
  
if she did it was when her father was in a relatively good mood. She sighed and shook her head, trying her best to clear her   
  
thoughts of her father, of her home and life away. Most importantly though was the small nagging feeling that maybe she was   
  
wrong in trying to free herself all those months ago. Mimiru slid down in the seat across from her, and gently placed a   
  
large tray full of wrapped hamburgers, and large sodas.  
  
"I really didn't know what ya'd like, so I guessed." Mimiru said brightly as she shrugged her shoulders, then grabbed two of   
  
the wrapped burgers. "Anyway," she started, as she unwrapped on of the burgers. "Why didn't you contact anyone sooner?"  
  
Tsukasa looked down at the tray, staring at the two brown wrapped burgers, at the large paper cup, beads of condensation   
  
rolling softly down its side. "I – I needed time I guess." She half whispered, as she took one of the two burgers and began   
  
to unwrap it. "After I woke up, things seemed different. At first at least."  
  
Mimiru watched her in silence, waiting for her friend – and yes, she thought Tsukasa was indeed a friend – to finish, but the   
  
girl just sat their and ate her burger, and for a long time silence stretched between the two. Finally Mimiru couldn't take   
  
it anymore; she wasn't for sitting here and moping. Before she even opened her mouth to speak Tsukasa had continued. "Dad,   
  
he was so happy I was back, it amazed me," she smiled sadly, and Mimiru couldn't help but notice that the girl had a hunted   
  
look in her eyes. Had she always had that? "He took me out and we brought all these new clothes." She smiled, and waved a   
  
hand in front of her. "My body had decided it was about time for me to grow up." Mimiru couldn't help but smile at that   
  
remark. "He would actually be interested in more then just my grades, wanting to know how my friends were, and how I was   
  
doing in sports." She laughed. "It was great, and I had truly thought that everything was going to be good from then on."   
  
Her smile grew a little said. "But I suppose I got just a little too happy."  
  
Again the thought entered Mimiru's mind, the thought grew and started to form pictures that at first looked happy to her. A   
  
faceless man, arm around Tsukasa's shoulder, gently arguing about clothes, of a man that sat at the dinner table listening   
  
intently to his daughter's stories of school and just life. In all those small happy images though, the Tsukasa of her mind   
  
still had that hunted look in her eyes, and Mimiru wondered just how much of the truth was shown in her images.  
  
Tsukasa was still talking, that in itself amazed Mimiru, her Tsukasa never really spoke more then a few sentences. She liked   
  
this new talkative Tsukasa, even if she did have a hunted look in her eyes. "I even got to see Subaru." She said happily.   
  
And the sudden change in topic and voice told her, that Tsukasa was done speaking of painful things. "She's really, nice,   
  
but kind of sad." Tsukasa took a bite out of her burger then continued. "At first I spent a lot of time with her, I even   
  
took her to the aquarium." Mimiru looked up from her own burger shocked, and the smile on the young woman's face across from   
  
her almost seemed to make that shock grow. Mimiru shook her head. No way!  
  
Tsukasa continued. "But eventually school, and . . . other things got in the way and I lost contact with her." Tsukasa   
  
sighed. "Really wish I could speak with her again though."  
  
Mimiru only smiled and sipped on her drink, wondering what that almost faraway look on Tsukasa's face could mean.  
  
****  
  
The girl jumped back into a flip easily, avoiding the large barbed club of the Desert Server's lizard beast. A large smile   
  
crossed her face, as she adjusted her new neck choker, a magical item that she had found in, quite literary, the belly of a   
  
beast. As she rubbed the metal of the choker, her vision changed slightly, and statistics, appeared around the lizard beast.   
  
Her smile grew, only twenty life points left, and the XP he gave out would push her well above what she needed for a level   
  
fifty.  
  
Flipping her daggers so that their razor sharp points pointed inward she charged the giant beast, daftly avoiding his club as   
  
it swung down at her, hitting the sand covered ground and sending up a great cloud of dust. He took her chance, jumping up   
  
onto the large wooden club as the beast lifted it, using its own momentum to speed her down its length closer to the beast.   
  
At the last second the monster noticed her and swung his club fiercely, trying to make her lose her balance, trying to make   
  
her fall. She smiled at its effort, then jumped off the club high into the air, her body covered by the blinding desert sun,   
  
then effortlessly, as the lizard beast searched the sky for her, landed on his back and quickly scurried up onto his head and   
  
drove her daggers into the beast's eyes.  
  
The creature howled in pain, and before she could jump off vanished into thin air, to go where ever it was that defeated   
  
creatures went, leaving the girl alone, and in midair. With a stifled scream the girl fell and hit the ground hard.  
  
A hand reached down to her, and whispering a small, embarrassed thank you the girl took the hand was helped up. "Are you   
  
A20?" The owner of the hand asked, as she brushed herself off and looked up, her eyes growing wide as she saw the tall dark   
  
haired man that stood before her, his loose red clothes blowing softly in the desert wind.  
  
Finally after a long time, A20 nodded.  
  
****  
  
It was so dark in there, so cold and empty, and it had been like that for a long time. He had never wanted to open this door   
  
again, never wanted to see this now empty room, and remember when it had been full of child's toys, and the boy that he loved   
  
so dear. That was the past though, that was in a different lifetime, a time when he took advantage of such things, when he   
  
thought that that boy would still be there. Still playing with his toys and his games, while he locked himself away in his   
  
study trying to meet the next deadline, trying to squeeze the next chapter out of a mind that was too far gone, to spent from   
  
the years of endless writing. For a time the boy was there, and so was the boy's mother, his wife. And even though, he knew   
  
his small study and the old word processor better then he did them, he thought that all was well. Then one day he walked out   
  
of his study, and into darkness. He went to the boy's room, and he was gone, at the time he had thought that the boy had   
  
gone out to play, but that seemed odd to him, the boy was only four, maybe five.  
  
So he walked though his home, a large apartment in the trendy section of San Francisco, and searched for his wife. In the   
  
living room he saw a picture on the end table of a tall lanky boy, maybe ten or eleven, a large smile on his face, and a   
  
baseball bat in his hand. His eyes grew as he lifted the picture, this was the boy, but so much older then he remembered   
  
him, and baseball! The man smiled, he remembered when the boy was so small that he could hardly walk, he picked the   
  
troublesome baby up, and lay him on his chest as he watched the game on television, those had been the days before San   
  
Francisco, before trendy apartments or an extremely well paying contract with a big publisher. Tears came to his eyes, how   
  
long had he spent in that study, how much had he missed.  
  
Hours passed, and then days, and he waited, never stepping foot into the study, or out of the apartment, he took to drinking   
  
as he waited, hoping that it would blur away the time. It didn't help though, it never helped.  
  
He shook his head, clearing his mind of the past, he shouldn't worry about the past, his ex-wife was good, the money she sent   
  
her was enough to make a good living of off, and his son. He smiled sadly; his son was a different story.  
  
He stood there for a little while longer, then turned away, shutting the door to the dark and empty room behind him, and   
  
hoped that maybe soon it wouldn't be dark and empty.  
  
He passed his study, it's door wide open, the soft glow from his computer shone out into the dark hallway. He ignored it,   
  
time enough for the new book later, time enough for "The World."  
  
Slowly a man many know of as "Bear" walked out of his apartment, locking the heavy oaken door behind him, and went to see the   
  
lawyer he knew he might need very soon.  
  
****  
  
Mimiru peeked around the corner and smiled. "Hi mom!" She said cheerfully and stepped the rest of the way into her house's   
  
small living room, dragging Tsukasa in with her.  
  
Mimiru's mother looked up from the television and offered both girls a warm smile. "Hi yourself." She said warmly, and   
  
started to get up, but Mimiru raced over and gently pushed her back down.  
  
"Mom, you know full well what the doctors said." Mimiru exclaimed with an over dramatic sigh. "You really shouldn't even be   
  
sitting, what if you throw your back out again?"  
  
Her mother smiled up at her, and patted her hand before pushing it gently away. "I know, I know." Her mother shook her   
  
head. "I just hate be cooped up in here." She sighed then looked over to Tsukasa who was shyly edging her way over toward   
  
Mimiru; her eyes looked firmly on the rough carpet. "And who's your friend? You never bring anyone home with you." Her   
  
mother sighed. "Not even a boy."  
  
Tsukasa started to laugh. "Mom!" Mimiru screamed turning bright red.  
  
Her mother waved her hand dismissively, and looked over at Tsukasa. "I just like to tease her, its very funny." Mimiru   
  
growled, making her mother laugh. "She's a very good girl though." Mimiru's mother smiled, then looked Tsukasa up and down,   
  
her light eyes lingering to long on the long bandage that covered her cheek. "Now then who are you?"  
  
Tsukasa looked at everything but Mimiru's mother. "I – I'm Tsukasa, I'm a friend of Mimiru from The . . ."  
  
Mimiru cut in before Tsukasa could finish. "The Winter Dance committee."  
  
Mimiru's mother's eyes brightened and Mimiru could tell Tsukasa was staring at her; she looked over at the other girl and   
  
offered her a reassuring smile. "Well that's so wonderfully!" Her mother exclaimed. "It's so good to see young people   
  
taking apart in school, and such instead of wasting their brains on that stupid game." Her mother pointed a finger at   
  
Mimiru. "Now aren't you glad I made you join that "stupid committee" as you called it?" She pointed at Tsukasa. "You even   
  
made a friend."  
  
"Yes Mom." Mimiru said rather dryly then grabbed Tsukasa's arm. "Tsukasa's gonna stay over, we gotta few things ta talk   
  
about for the dance." And with that Mimiru quickly hurried out of the room, dragging Tsukasa – who was waving to Mimiru's   
  
mother – out with her.  
  
****  
  
Tsukino had been playing "The World" for over three years, he was considered one of the highest levels none special   
  
character's he had faced even the great Player Killer, Sora once and had lived. All his armor was shielded by special   
  
magic's, his sword glowed brightly whenever he was about to enter into a dangerous Zone, and he held one of the fragments of   
  
the rare King item. In fact, he thought with a smile as he leaned against the wall of this new dungeon. The rare King item   
  
was the reason he was here.  
  
Tsukino leaned away from the wall, peeking his head down the corridor, narrowing his eyes, and searching for any traps or   
  
creature icons. He smiled, and rested back against the wall, everything looked fine. Slowly he took his sword from its   
  
scabbard. His face was dimly lit by the sword's faint blue/green light, and his eyes narrowed as he looked down the other   
  
end of the tunnel, the way he had just come from. There was nothing their.  
  
Again he leaned forward and looked around the corner, down the other corridor he had just surveyed, again nothing. Tsukino   
  
chewed his lip, as he looked his sword up and down. Hoping and praying that the hacked sword he'd spent real money on was   
  
not failing him.  
  
****  
  
Behind Tsukino, down the way he had just come something moved quickly, quietly through the darkness, not caring or knowing of   
  
the young warrior that leaned against the wall ahead of it, all that mattered was that she run and be safe, nothing else   
  
mattered.  
  
****  
  
Tsukino was still staring at the sword when a faintly glowing white ghost soared by him, he looked up and stared at the   
  
creature, his eyes growing wide as he realized it was not a creature at all, but a woman, a beautiful woman. She turned her   
  
head and looked at him, her mouth moved, but he heard no voice, and he was bad at reading lips.  
  
A moment later he was still staring, but the ghostly woman was gone, and now the corridor, in fact the whole dungeon was   
  
erupting in noise. Dust fell around him as the noise grew closer, and soon the ceiling itself was falling. Tsukino looked   
  
down at his hacked sword, it was glowing a fierce blue, screaming at him to run, and then he knew what the ghostly woman had   
  
said. Run.  
  
He turned to run back down the way he had come, but something blocked his way, something large, larger then he had ever seen.   
  
Tsukino breathed in deeply, he knew he had lost his chance to run. All he had left was to fight, and he knew he would lose.  
  
****  
  
Subaru sat quietly on the edge of the lake, her feet floating in its cool water. See leaned back and looked up at the night   
  
sky of "The World" and smiled contently. She couldn't believe that almost a year ago she'd sworn this place off, it was so   
  
peaceful here, well at least when you found the right place, which was quite easy for her to do. After all even though the   
  
Knights had been disbanded she still had some of her connections with the Administers, and they always told her where the   
  
least populated playing fields where.  
  
"Comfy?" A familiar voice asked from behind her.  
  
Subaru tilted her head back away from the stars and smiled. "Hello Krim." She said quietly. "Would you like to talk?"  
  
Her oldest friend and mentor nodded, and Subaru was soon, standing, walking with him through the tall grassed field that led   
  
to the isolated lake. "So," Subaru started her hands behind her back as they walked. "What do you want to talk about?" She   
  
looked over at him and smiled. "You've raised some eyebrows with your cryptic e-mails, and BBS posts you know."  
  
Krim smiled down at her, and she could feel her face flush, would she ever fully get over these stupid feelings. "About two   
  
hours ago, a young Canadian girl was found comatose in her bedroom." He said, his voice hard. "According to the report I   
  
hacked, she was still wearing the headset when they found her."  
  
Subaru nodded, she too had recently started to look into these coma cases, and all of them seemed to involve people who were   
  
playing in "The World" at the time. "Krim, I don't understand." Subaru said as she looked back at the night sky. "I know   
  
these cases are bad, and I know there is some danger, a true danger now lose in "The World" but why are you involved, you   
  
always did your best to keep the real world and the game separate."  
  
Krim nodded. "That was before the game started to affect the real world."  
  
Subaru nodded, she understood perfectly. "So what now?"  
  
Krim looked at the night sky. "There's only one person who can answer that, and she might not be willing."  
  
Subaru stopped dead in her tracks, and looked down at the ground. "Don't do that to her." She whispered. "This place has   
  
hurt her so much already, don't drag her back."  
  
Krim turned to look at her. "She's already back Subaru, I saw her last night on the cliffs." Subaru looked up at him, and   
  
he smiled. "Although you may not be able to recognize her anymore."  
  
Subaru was about to speak when she noticed something in the distance racing toward them, something that glowed faintly white,   
  
like in the messages. Krim stared at her for a moment, then turned, obviously seeing the shock that was frozen on her face.  
  
A second of tense silence fell over "The World," and then Krim screamed. "RUN!"  
  
End .hack//Afterwards Part Two.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Not much to say, I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I most definitely hope that I'm doing the world of .hack some   
  
justice in my writings and not totally fumbling it. All I got to say is all of you writers and readers out there who have   
  
played the first two games are luckily! I'll just be picking them up right before I release this (Parts 1 and 2 were written   
  
while I was still far away from any place that would sell these games), and I hope though what I've read of the games (not   
  
much) that I'm doing good.  
  
Anyway thank you everyone once again for reading, and look forward to part 3 coming out sooner or later (after all I am   
  
writing 3 other fan fictions one of them being another .hack), and please review, it really brightens up the writer's day.  
  
Peace Out!  
  
NeoMoon ^_^* 


	3. Legal Problems

hack/Afterwards  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
By: NeoMoon  
  
Part Three:  
  
"Hurry!" A20 screamed, through the private voice message she sent Krim, then looked back up, to see that he and the once   
  
leader of the Crimson Knights, raced toward her. She grinned, they'd make, and hopefully the toy that Krim had given her   
  
would work.  
  
They were only about a hundred yards away, when she took the small glowing diamond out of her pocket, and threw it into the   
  
air. Helba, she thought as she watched the small diamond rise high higher. This had better work.  
  
She turned away from the diamond, back toward Krim, and Subaru, saw that the ghostly white woman, was gaining. She had no   
  
clue who, or what the woman was, she only knew that she was trouble, she'd heard rumors in the root towns about what happened   
  
to people that had seen the woman, and . . . A20 shook her head, enough of that, she wouldn't think of it, right now, she   
  
needed to get that damn Hacker Gate to work.  
  
Behind her a flash of purple light exploded from the diamond as it fell back to the earth, A20 turned and watched as the gate   
  
appeared. She smiled, and looked back at Krim and Subaru. "Hurry up!" She screamed at them, just as the gate pulled her   
  
in.  
  
****  
  
  
  
Tsukasa looked at the computer station through the darkness of Mimiru's room. Behind her Mimiru slept peacefully.   
  
Tsukasa had been surprised by the easy banter between mother and daughter, back home she would never get away with talking   
  
like; back home she always had to watch herself, everything was suspect, her clothes, her music, her grades. If something   
  
didn't fit into her father's definition of correct behavior for a teenage girl, it often didn't stay that way for long   
  
everything, had to fit the definition.  
  
Tsukasa shook her head, and looked back at Mimiru, the girl slept so peacefully, she barely, moved, it would be so   
  
easy for her to make her bed in the morning. Tsukasa smiled, she wished she could sleep easy, but when she slept she   
  
remembered things both from the real world, and "The World". She sighed, "The World" had once been her home, sometimes,   
  
even with the painfully memories she still felt that it was home.  
  
Slowly Tsukasa crawled over to the computer station, making sure she made no sound as she booted up her friend's computer,   
  
and slipped the headset on.  
  
****  
  
Mimiru's mother sighed as she walked past her daughter's room, and heard the soft clicking of the keyboard. It was   
  
so late, the both girls had school in the morning, how could she stay up and get on that stupid game. She sighed again and   
  
shook her head, she swore that if it wasn't for her meddling her daughter wouldn't do anything but play that game, and after   
  
that escapade six months ago, she wondered if maybe she shouldn't just throw that stupid computer away, people really didn't   
  
need them, she survived quite well during the so called "Twilight of the Gods."  
  
With another sigh she started toward her room, vowing not to let her daughter turn into the delinquent that game had   
  
made her. After all what right minded child would skip a week of school for a game?   
  
****  
  
Kevin Matherson, was an award winning writer, and most people assumed that being a bestseller, meant a live of ease,   
  
being able to write whatever came to mind, whenever he wanted. If only they knew, the days of the true writer were dead, the   
  
publisher ran the show now, they told you the limits of what you could write, they gave you work tables, and schedules. He   
  
couldn't just one day say: Oh well I'm taking a week off! Because his publisher would be furious and would have dropped   
  
him. Sometimes, he even blamed his publishing house for his personal problems. In the end though, he knew he could have   
  
walked away at anytime, could have gotten a normal job, or even a position at a collage as a Writing Professor, hell he had a   
  
Ph d in Journalism, and Creative writing.  
  
He shook his head, he shouldn't be thinking of stuff like that now, it made no difference, he'd told time that he was   
  
planning to retire after his next novel, the conclusion and compilation of a group of short stories he'd started writing six   
  
months ago about a girl stuck in a digital world. After that he'd be free, and the royalties he received from the continued   
  
sale of his books would keep him well above the Poverty Line, and with all the free time he would have, he'd be able to   
  
finally do the one thing he'd never had the chance to do before, watch a child grow. That is, if he could get custody of   
  
that child.  
  
"Mr. Matherson?"  
  
Kevin looked up, at the young, very beautiful secretary of his lawyer. He couldn't help smile as he followed her   
  
into the large office of his lawyer. He knew Matt well, they went to collage together, before Matt decide to go into law,   
  
and he knew one thing, this woman was a little more then a mere secretary. Kevin couldn't help but wonder how much extra   
  
Matt was paying her.  
  
"Linda, you can leave." Matt O'Connell said as he stood from his desk, and walked over to Kevin with an outstretched   
  
hand. "Kev, ol' buddy!" Matt continued with a giant smile, as he grasped Kevin's hand. "That old bag's not asking for more   
  
money is she?"  
  
Kevin smiled, of course Matt would think that, besides the time he had a small problem with his publisher he'd never   
  
come to Matt for anything but his Ex-wife. "No not this time."  
  
Matt sighed and visibly slumped over. "Thank God!" He breathed. "I thought I'd have to deal with that demoness of   
  
a lawyer she's got."  
  
Kevin couldn't help but laugh at his friend's relieve, it was quite true that his Ex's lawyer was known to be the   
  
biggest, most evil bitch in the entire history of lawyers. "No, not this time. I'm thinking of adopting."  
  
Matt gave him a shocked wide eyed gaze. "Dude, you're over forty! Your not even married anymore, it's gonna be hard   
  
as all frigging hell to adopt some orphan."  
  
Kevin waved over to his old friend's desk. "Take a seat; it gets a whole lot better then this."  
  
Matt raised an eyebrow, then gave his best I'm game smile. "This is gonna fun, ain't it?"  
  
Kevin only smiled, as he walked over to the overly stuffed leather arm chair on the guest side of the desk. "Oh   
  
yeah, lots of fun."  
  
****  
  
It was night in the Delta Server's Root town of Mac Anu; the streets were crowded, with shoppers, and just people   
  
hanging out. Tsukasa stood alone, leaning against one of the many bridges that crossed the canals, watching the gondolas   
  
make their way from place to place. Tsukasa smiled, as she watched them. She used to do this for hours before the voice,   
  
before she got stuck in the game, before everything. It was good to be able to just sit here again, not having to worry   
  
about anything.  
  
"You know, next time, ask."  
  
Tsukasa turned around to see Mimiru leaning against the railing of the bridge, looking down at her with a large   
  
smile. "How did you . . . " Tsukasa began. "I mean, I didn't even hear you."  
  
Mimiru's smile grew, as she dropped down and sat next to Tsukasa, and threw her arm around the other girl's shoulder.   
  
"My mom hates me playing "The World," so I learned to be really quiet when logging on." She smiled, and lifted her hand to   
  
rustle Tsukasa's hair. "You type too loud."  
  
Tsukasa couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her throat. "Hmmm, guess I'm getting rusty." Both girls began to   
  
laugh.  
  
Doing her best to catch her breath, Tsukasa stood, up, and looked up the street toward the town gate. "Hey you want   
  
to go on a little dungeon crawl?"  
  
Mimiru looked up at her and cracked her knuckles as she stood. "Sounds fun." She said as she picked up her sword,   
  
and flung it over her shoulder. "Where do you want to go?"  
  
Tsukasa closed her eyes. "The plains."  
  
****  
  
Subaru breathed heavily, as she leaned her head against the wall of the cathedral. "Oh god." She choked out, and   
  
closed her eyes. "I've never run that fast in my life." She turned around and leaned her against the cold stone of the   
  
wall. "Just, what the hell was that thing?" She asked, and looked over at Krim who was standing over A20 who was lying   
  
still on the alter. "Is she alright?"  
  
Krim looked up at her and shook his head. "She was the last through the Hacker Gate." He growled and slammed his   
  
fist against the table, just inches from A20's head. "Damn it, I told her to go first!"  
  
Subaru pushed off the wall, and walked over to Krim, wrapping her arm around his, and forced him to look down at her.   
  
"Listen, it wasn't your fault Krim, we couldn't have known it would have happened." Krim looked away from her, and she   
  
lifted her hand to his chin, and forced him to look back at him. "Listen to me! We thought it was over with. We thought   
  
that waking Aura would free Tsukasa and end all the weirdness that has taken root in "The World," but it hasn't and now we   
  
got to stop it." She looked deep into his eyes. "You say this is a game, but then you say it's affecting the real world, we   
  
need to find the truth because of this."  
  
Krim forced her hand away and looked down at A20. "We haven't seen or heard anything from Sora in months, and now   
  
A20 a girl that was a friend of Mimiru is lying here, no healing potion or antidote is working, I have no clue if she's   
  
really alive in "The World" or the real world." He looked back at Subaru. "I can't blame myself for anything that happened   
  
to Sora, but I invited A20 along, if anything were to happen to her in the real world because of me, I wouldn't know what I'd   
  
do!"  
  
"To . . .loud."  
  
Subaru's eyes grew loud, as did Krim as she noticed. "What?" They both screamed at the same time, and looked down   
  
to see A20 wincing up at them. With a groan the girl rose up on her elbows and looked around the cathedral, then looked up   
  
at Subaru, and Krim.  
  
"What happened?" She asked as she ran her hand through her hair. "Last thing I remember is you two running toward   
  
the gate, then nothing." She groaned and sat up. "I thought I got sucked though."  
  
Subaru looked down at her, a dumbfounded expression on her face. "What do mean? You were still standing there when   
  
we ran through."  
  
****  
  
Kevin sighed deeply as he looked at the mess that had become Matt's desk. This was going to be hard, very, very   
  
hard. "God!" He moaned as he stood and walked over to the wall length window that looked out over Chicago, and watched the   
  
sun set over city. It was amazing, as it always was, but even this did not ease him tonight. "What now?" He asked the   
  
world on the other side of the glass as he ran his hand through his graying black hair. "What do I do now, I can't leave her   
  
there."  
  
From behind him he could hear Matt lay down one of his think law books on the oaken desk then walk over to join him,   
  
resting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you so what you know is true?" He asked quietly, staring out into the city as he   
  
spoke. "Are you sure this girl is in that kind of situation?"  
  
Kevin let out a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "Yes." He whispered with a nod. "I know it's the truth."  
  
Matt tightened his grip on Kevin's shoulder reassuringly. "Alright then." Matt said, almost sounding happy. "Looks   
  
like I get to do my Pro Bono of the year."  
  
Kevin opened his eyes and looked over at his old friend. "What?!"  
  
Matt shrugged. "Hey, I hate people that hit kids." He looked back at his desk, and smiled. "Looks like we got a   
  
lot of work to do," he sighed and walked over to his desk, and hit the intercom. "Linda, hope you ain't doing anything for   
  
the next for months." He looked back over at Kevin and smiled. "Its time to earn your pay."  
  
****  
  
"Duck!" Tsukasa screamed, as she extended her staff, and a bolt of lighting streaked across the room, hitting the   
  
large harpy that Mimiru had cornered against a wall.  
  
Mimiru ducked and rolled, away, finishing as she jumped out of her roll and landed behind the tiny shaman monster and   
  
sweeping downwards cutting the monster diagonally. The creature started to gray and fall over, dissolving into energy as it   
  
did. A second later Tsukasa and Mimiru stood alone in the corridor of the large underground tomb they had stumped across.  
  
Mimiru smiled at her friend as they leaned against a cool stone wall and took a break. "You injured?" She asked as   
  
she turned to look down the dark corridor.  
  
Tsukasa shook her head. "You? I got a few Health Drinks left."  
  
Mimiru shook her head. "What's the map say, I turned mine off?"  
  
"Two floors to go, I wonder what's down there?"  
  
"Well," Mimiru said as she pushed off the wall. "We'll never know unless we go."  
  
Tsukasa nodded, and started to push off the wall when she felt movement down the darkened end of the corridor.   
  
"Mimiru, stop."  
  
Mimiru stopped mid-step and looked back at Tsukasa. "What?"  
  
As if to answer her question the corridor suddenly filled with bright almost supernatural light, making Tsukasa   
  
squint to make out the figure that walked toward them. "You." She whispered.  
  
"That's right." Helba said with a smile. "Me."  
  
****  
  
It was almost midnight, when Kevin unlocked the door to his large apartment, and stepped into its darkness. He   
  
slowly made his way down the large dark hall, letting his keys and baseball cap fall onto a small table with was the hall's   
  
only adornment. Stifling a yawn, he walked into the only room in the apartment with light, and flopped down on the large   
  
leather stuffed office chair and reached over to his stand grabbing the headset that was still lit. He really needed to   
  
remember to turn that off. Slowly he slid the headset over his head, and typed in the command code for the game.  
  
"Username." The computer promoted   
  
Kevin smiled, and began to type: Bear.  
  
End .hack/Afterwards Part Three  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Good news! I finally got the first game. This means I have a slightly less chance of really screwing up. Anyway I hope you   
  
all like this chapter; I've been spending a lot of time looking over online Law textbooks, trying to figure out how to do   
  
this whole battle over Tsukasa realistic. In the end though I might wing it, it's hard to find free collage level textbooks   
  
online when you don't know how. Anyway, I do really hope you all like it 'cause I'm trying my best here, the .hack character   
  
– especially Tsukasa – are a lot more complex then most characters I've dealt with in my Sailor Moon, and Metal Gear Fic, so   
  
its hard to get the right feel from them.  
  
Well:  
  
Peace out ^_^*  
  
NeoMoon! 


End file.
